Suspension systems for dispensers to be placed within water closets or toilet tanks are relatively abundant in the art. For example, the commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,269, which issued to Robert S. Dirksing and Dale E. Barker on Mar. 13, 1984, discloses a vertically adjustable dispenser suspension means for locating a dispenser on a vertical wall member of a toilet tank. The Dirksing et al. suspension means comprises a bayonet member and a channel means into which the bayonet member inserts. At least one resiliently deformable projection located along a longitudinal edge of either the bayonet member or the channel means interacts with a multiplicity of spaced projection receiving means located along the longitudinal edge of the other of either the bayonet member or the channel means to provide spring-loaded detenting vertical adjustability thereof.
Another vertically adjustable dispenser suspension means is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,684, which issued to Dean H. Buchtel on Oct. 30, 1973. The Buchtel hanging device comprises a ribbed strap which is received within a groove formed in a dispenser bottle wherein the dimensions of the rib on the strap provide an interference fit between the strap and the bottle groove. The frictional interaction between such strap and the groove is sufficient to prevent relative movement between the two except when purposely manually adjusted. At the top of the hanger strap is a hook means for attachment of the suspension system to the wall of a toilet tank. A notch is formed in the bottle such that when the hanger strap is moved to its fully retracted position, the hook nests within the notch for convenient packaging and shipment
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,941, which issued to James R. Gray on June 5, 1984, discloses a toilet bowl sanitizer dispenser which includes a hook member provided to hang over the top rim of the toilet tank and thereby fasten the dispenser to the sidewall thereof. The dispenser is formed with a pair of vertically aligned holes through which the hook member is passed. A rib serves to press the hook member against the top and bottom ends of a recess, thereby holding the dispenser in place. The Gray hook member, however, cannot be moved to a non-obstructive storage position except when totally removed from the dispenser.
Other prior art hanger systems have been designed to be rotatable from a shipping and/or storage position to an open position for use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,024, which issued to Douglas W. Thomas on May 13, 1975, discloses a hanger device for suspending a container in an inverted position on the wall of a water closet. In particular, the Thomas hanger comprises an L-shaped metal strip which is rotatably connected to the end wall of the container, and is designed to conform to the shape of the portion of the container to which it abuts in storage position in order to minimize space requirements during shipping and storage. In use, the Thomas hanging clip is rotated to an open position wherein it extends past the end wall of the container to engage the tank wall of a water closet in order to suspend the dispenser in an inverted position. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,360, which issued to Frank J. Mack on Dec. 21, 1976, concerns a hanger device for suspensing a dispensing container from the wall of a water closet. The Mack hanger comprises a horizontal planar member connected to the upper end of the cylindrical shaft which is retained in recesses formed in the side wall of the container. The shaft and planar member are designed to swivel such that the planar member may be moved from a storage position, wherein it is substantially flush with the container, to a position where it will engage the top of the wall of the water closet. Mack also contemplates that the shaft of such hanger may be designed to freely vertically reciprocate a predetermined distance R within the recesses formed in the container.
Despite all of the prior work done in this area, as is apparent from the above discussion, there remains problems of providing a vertically adjustable hanger system which does not add unnecessary size and packaging expense and/or inconvenience to the dispenser product. None of the prior art hanging systems provide a suspension means which can be vertically adjusted, which does not add unnecessary dimensions to a dispenser during shipping and/or storage, and which, in use, is conveniently rotatable to a position extending beyond the dispenser for suspension of such dispenser on a toilet tank wall.